The Most Extreme Blizzards in History
When blizzards come at full force, they’re certainly nothing to sneeze at. In the most extreme cases, visibility is reduced to just a few feet, wind blows faster than traffic on the highway, and snow is so deep it’s impossible to drive — or even walk. The term “blizzard” is often used to describe any snowstorm, but the National Weather Service officially defines a blizzard as having ““winds in excess of 35 mph and visibilities of less than 1/4 mile for an extended period of time (at least 3 hours).” That, however, is at the mildest end of the spectrum. Blizzards can become far more intense, with waist-deep snow and whiteouts bringing entire cities — and sometimes entire regions — to a standstill. Here are five facts about some of the biggest blizzards in history.
The Blizzard of 1888 Led to the Creation of the New York Subway
On March 11, 1888, a massive blizzard struck the Atlantic coast of the United States, from the Chesapeake Bay up to Maine. As much as 55 inches of snow was dumped in some areas, and New York City ground to a halt. Many people had to seek refuge in hotel lobbies, where temporary beds were put up. (Mark Twain was among those stuck in his New York hotel for several days.) As many as 15,000 people were stranded on the city’s elevated trains, and the drifting snow and howling winds also felled telegraph lines, water mains, and gas lines. In the aftermath, the storm was a wake-up call to city planners across the nation. There was a shift toward burying infrastructure underground, including lines of communication and utilities. The blizzard also prompted New York City to begin planning its vast subway system to replace the exposed high-line trains.
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The Great Appalachian Storm Created Some Strange Weather Anomalies
The Great Appalachian Storm of 1950 wasn’t notable solely for its intensity — it was also downright strange. The slow-moving system dumped heavy snow across much of the central Appalachians, with several locations receiving more than 50 inches. (Coburn Creek in West Virginia reported a whopping 62 inches.) The storm’s wild temperature gradients also created some true meteorological anomalies. In Pittsburgh, for example, heavy snow fell in 21-degree air, which rapidly plunged to 9 degrees as the winds shifted from northwesterly to southeasterly winds, bringing with them a sudden cold front. And while snow was falling in frigid Pittsburgh, in Buffalo, New York — only 200 miles to the north — temperatures were in the high 40s with no snow recorded at all.
The Chicago Blizzard of 1967 Left Some 20,000 Cars Abandoned in the Streets
On the morning of January 26, 1967, as people in Chicago were heading to work or school, a light snow began to fall. By noon, the city was covered in 8 inches of snow, shutting down O'Hare International Airport and forcing schools and businesses to close early. They didn’t close early enough, however, and people returning home were caught in the increasingly heavy snow. By the next morning, a record 23 inches of snow had blanketed the city, with drifts of up to 6 feet. In the streets of Chicago, some 20,000 cars and 1,100 CTA buses were left abandoned in the blizzard. (Some estimates are as high as 50,000 cars.) It took the city another two days to properly dig out from the snow.
The Iran Blizzard of 1972 Hit a Region the Size of Wisconsin
In 1972, a massive blizzard struck Iran. It followed one of the nation’s worst droughts, which had lasted for 1,460 days. When moisture finally began to gather, it fell not as rain but as snow. The resulting blizzard lasted for an entire week and resulted in snow at least 10 feet deep — and in some places a staggering 26 feet deep. A region about the size of Wisconsin, encompassing much of western Iran, was buried in snow for more than a week.
The 1993 “Storm of the Century” Stretched From Canada to Central America
On March 12, 1993, a gargantuan storm system began to form that, over the next few days, affected nearly half the U.S. population. The Storm of the Century, as it was called, was felt from Canada all the way to Central America. It was strongest along the eastern United States, which was subjected to three days of blizzard conditions and heavy snowfall (up to 55 inches in Tennessee), as well as rough seas, coastal flooding, tornadoes, and bitterly cold temperatures. By the time it had dissipated, the Great Blizzard of ’93 — as it was also known — had caused about $5.5 billion in damages (the equivalent of about $11.6 billion today), making it one of the most costly weather events of the 20th century.
